Auburn University College of Engineering Climbs in Rankings

AUBURN – Auburn University’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering continued its climb in the U.S. News & World Report rankings for the fourth year – this time advancing five spots. The undergraduate program is ranked 51st nationally overall and 28th among public universities that offer doctoral programs in engineering, moving up from 57th and 34th from the previous year.

“We recognize that rankings are not an absolute measure of the quality of a program or institution,” says Engineering Dean Larry Benefield. “However, when used with other measures, they are a useful tool because they reflect performance as well as perception.”

Benefield explains that there has long been a gap between the performance of Auburn Engineering and its reputation. Over the past few years, the college has made a concerted effort to increase awareness of the college and the achievements of its faculty and students. At the same time it has implemented a strategic plan to move the college to the next level. “I believe this year’s rankings are evidence that all of these efforts are paying off,” he says.

That’s because reputation matters when it comes to recruiting students and faculty, as well as attracting extramural funding. “The latest figures from the American Society of Engineering Educators reinforce this – the average ACT/SAT scores for our engineering students are the highest ever, as is the college’s extramural funding,” says Benefield.

“We’ve almost completed a major upgrade of our facilities and are now working to enhance our professorship and graduate fellowship offerings,” he adds. “In addition, program enhancements, such as the launch of the nation’s only wireless engineering degree and a new automotive minor are helping to ensure that our college and its graduates remain competitive in today’s fast-changing global environment.”